I appreciate that you are taking a look at this preview of the photobook “Amsterdam by Night”. With this book I want to share the beauty of Amsterdam during nighttime. The photographs are the result of many nightly photo-expeditions, in which I got to know the city in a totally new way. Also, the book shows the rich history of the city, by which I hope to offer a refreshing view on Amsterdam.

The book consists of 152 pages with more than 100 photographs of nightly Amsterdam. It shows the history of the city from its early beginnings till the most recent expansion. The preface is written by mayor van der Laan of Amsterdam. The book was published in December 2014 as a hardcover measuring 245x294mm. This unique book costs only 35,- euro. Since “Amsterdam by Night” is published independently, it is printed in a limited amount and only be available in selected bookshops. If you would like to receive the book you can order “Amsterdam by Night” via the order form on the website www.amsterdambynight.net or by sending an e-mail to [email protected] net. You will receive the book via mail and it will be delivered free of charge. Enjoy the read and views, Wino

Introductie Preface ‘Show, don’t tell‘ is an important proverb when telling stories. For example, you do not always say that Amsterdam is very beautiful, you describe it. This photobook takes that proverb quite literally, the elegance of our city is beautifully portrayed. At the same time one can appreciate that Amsterdam has a rich history.

This book shows a portrait of present-day Amsterdam and places the modern city in a historical perspective. On the basis of the pictures, the reader is taken on a journey of exploration through the nightly city, where both known and lesser known areas of Amsterdam are presented. The book tells the story of a fishing village that grew to become a world power. Also the darker periods in the Amsterdam history are not neglected.

Through the dark skies over the city, the featured buildings show another face, an unfamiliar view of the city that you do not usually appreciate during daytime. In addition, the photos hardly show any people. That is a particular scene in a metropolis. Also in this regard, the pictures offer a different look at Amsterdam. I would like to make photographer Wino Wijnen a compliment for the way he has captured nightly Amsterdam in pictures. I hope that many readers will enjoy this book.

The night is not one of the most obvious subjects for a photobook. Unfortunately we do not always take the time to enjoy the night. It is dark, empty and cold, and we normally pass through quickly or have a good night’s rest in bed.

The darkness harbors however a beauty that is only revealed to the keen observer. An overwhelming range of intense colors is hidden in the dark of the night. With “Amsterdam by Night” I hope to be able to share a bith of this beauty with you.

Nowadys, Amsterdam is a relatively small city, but certainly one with a rich history. It time for a close encounter with the dark side of Amsterdam.

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Although the book is a personal exploration of the city, it covers almost the whole history of Amsterdam. Thereby “Amsterdam by Night” offers a further acquaintance with the city, both for newcomers as well as the full-blooded Amsterdammers.

Through the photographs of nightly Amsterdam I have tried to provide a contemporary view of the city, while simultaneously placing it in a broader historic perspective. The photos take us on a journey of discovery from the early beginning, via the Golden Age, to the present modern city. We see how Amsterdam developed during the centuries, from a small fishing village to a trade center and a 17th century world power.

The coat of arms of Amsterdam. The coat of arms is probably derived from the one of Jan Persijn, an early lord of Amsterdam. The oldest document that bears this symbol dates to 1419.

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Het stadswapen van Amsterdam. Het wapen

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Gehuld in Duisternis

Shrouded in Darkness

The history of Amsterdam goes back till somewhere around the 12th century. Amsterdam is thereby a relatively young city, certainly when compared with other European capitals like Rome, Athens or Paris. Also for Dutch standards Amsterdam belongs to the newcomers: nearby cities like Haarlem, Utrecht, Tiel and Delft were all founded before Amsterdam. The Dutch cities of Maastricht and Nijmegen were already flourishing during Roman times, while very little of notice was going on in the lands that would eventually give rise to Amsterdam. The early history of Amsterdam is therefore shrouded in darkness, but with the help of old documents and archeological excavations it is possible to form an impression about the origins of Amsterdam.

Before the 12th century the region of presentday Amsterdam was a desolate marshland, exposed to the elements and tides of the Zuiderzee. Slowly, these lands became inhabited by fishermen and farmers in search of new opportunities to make a living. The steadily increasing population felt the need to control the waters, and after two successive floods in 1170 and 1173 it was decided to erect dikes along the coast of the Zuiderzee (currently the IJselmeer and IJ). A bridge and dam were constructed at the estuary of the Amstel in the IJ and a small village developed along the river. It was called Aemstelredamme, and would eventually become known as Amsterdam.

Little is known about the early history of Aemstelredamme, and even less remains visible. Certainly the settlement steadily developed from a fishing village to a regional trade center. Its convenient location along the Zuiderzee, combined with its good connection with the hinterlands made Aemstelredamme a perfect home port for trade ships. The trading spirit of the early inhabitants is evident from the first official mentioning of the town in written history: in a document dating from 1275, count Floris V granted the citizens of Amestelledamme freedom of taxation at bridges, locks and dams in the whole of Holland. During this period, Amsterdam probably counted no more than a couple of hundred inhabitants. The settlement stretched along the Amstel. The Damrak at the IJ-side of the dam became the harbor of Amsterdam. The waters at the other side of the dam became the Rokin. Traces of an early dam have been found at the beginning of the 20th century underneath Dam square, between the National Monument and Bijenkorf.

places in Amsterdam where you can still feel like being in a medieval town.

Amsterdam received its city rights around 1300. This provided the city with the privileges of taxation and jurisdiction, the right to collect toll. The city was also allowed to hold markets and build city walls. With these city rights, Amsterdam gained more independence from the counts of Holland and the religious authorities. This independence, and the lack of a traditional aristocracy, stood at the basis of the rapid development of Amsterdam into a regional trade center.

The harbor at Damrak developed further and the population increased between 1300 and 1400 from several hundreds to about 3000 inhabitants. The city grew on both sides of the Amstel, mainly along the Warmoesstraat and Nieuwendijk. The part to the east of the Amstel would become known as the oude zijde (old side), while the west was called nieuwe zijde (new side). During this period, the Zeedijk was a real dike that protected the city against the Zuiderzee.

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Middeleeuwse Stadsomwalling

Medieval City Walls

As a consequence of receiving its city rights, Amsterdam was allowed to construct city walls. At 1340, a moat and earthen defensive wall was built around the city. The moat can still be seen next to the Oude Kerk (the canal of Oudezijds Voorburgwal). The first defensive walls quickly became too small for the fast growing city, whereupon a new wall was constructed in

shows the city with its third city walls. The Damrak and Rokin in the center are flanked by the Oude Kerk to the left and the Nieuwe Kerk to the right. At the bottom left we find the Schreierstoren in the harbor. The Montelbaanstoren is shown further to the left.

1385. Although little remains of the original city walls, they did leave a lasting impression on Amsterdam: the streets and canals along the defensive works are known as the Oude- and Nieuwezijds Voor- and Achterburgwal (wal is the Dutch word for wall). Also the red light district is better known by its name “De Wallen”, in reference to the medieval city walls that used to protect the city.

The Oude Kerk

In 1306, the Oude Kerk was built to the east of Warmoesstraat. The church was dedicated to Saint-Nicholas, the patron of sailors and merchants. This church, initially called SaintNicholas church, is the oldest building in existence in Amsterdam. With the construction of the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam became clerically more independent: until 1334 the inhabitants belonged to the parish of Amestelle, the current Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. The little original church was already extended into a larger gothic church in 1369. The imposing building that we find nowadays is the result of several subsequent extensions. 17